When discussing possible creative Halloween costumes last week with my friends, someone suggested “sexy ‘Stop Harassment’ lawn sign!” I laughed, thinking it would be a great idea. Then I really thought about it. I thought about the people that could be offended by such a costume. I thought about all the work people had put into the “It’s On Us” campaign. I thought about how scary it can be when a group of guys yell “get in and let’s have some fun” when I’m walking alone on Route 9 at night. I thought about how the signs seemed to actually help.
My path down Route 9 to my dorm on the Triangle is routinely met with honks, yells from open car windows, and what could only be described as catcalls. The first couple months of the semester, it happened every time I walked to or from main campus, without exception. I am not one to scare easily. I have had a pet spider and have been bungee jumping, but some of the things that people yell out of their cars can be absolutely terrifying.
I knew I was not alone in my experience, my friends and I commonly discuss it, and I have heard their own stories. For example, a boy yelling out of a big pick-up truck: “Want a country-boy, because you can ride me,” and my personal favorite: “You look like a hot mom.” It is a normal experience for my roommates and I to talk about what was yelled at us on our walk home once we get back to our dorm. So, when we were walking out of Val one day and saw lawn signs lining the road with messages such as: “Respect is an actual compliment”, “Stop street harassment”, and “You make me scared to walk home” it was weirdly comforting. We all found it promising that people were aware of the situation and did something proactive about it. I do admit, I was originally skeptical in how effective this method would be. How drastically could signs really alter someone’s behavior? Yet, I did notice that after the appearance of the signs, a lot fewer comments were made about my appearance during my walks home. My theory for this is that a lot of people do not realize that honking or screaming an unwanted comment to someone walking along Route 9 is in fact a form of harassment. Driving with your friends and yelling out to a someone walking on the street seems like casual, harmless behavior, which has no major consequences. These signs offered a subtle reminder that it’s not okay and can make people feel seriously uncomfortable.
But now the signs are gone, and the catcalling has made a reappearance. Senior Peer Advocate of Sexual Respect Nneka Ugwu explained:
“It’s On Us is a national campaign that encourages people across the country, specifically on college campuses to take the pledge to do something and be a part of eradicating sexual assault. This year we chose to narrow in on catcalling because several students, especially female students have expressed how prevalent catcalling is on Route 9. That’s why it was really disheartening when five signs were stolen on the first night of the campaign.”
As the winter months approach, the nights get colder, the layers increase, and the honks and comments have dwindled, but they are still there. Just a few nights ago when I was bundled up in a big sweatshirt, coat, and hat, I was told to “show my tits” by a young gentleman driving a dark green car. I was mostly confused, because I was pretty sure that from a distance you would not even be able to tell if I had “tits” or a dick. With comment like this, I missed the signs, because even if they didn’t completely stop the stupid comments, they would at least remind the people who chose to honk or yell that they were being rude. In a way I find there to be a love-hate relationship with the signs. I love that people are aware that this is an issue and are taking a stand against it. Yet, at the same time I hate the fact that people still need to be reminded by 1ft-1ft signs how to be a respectful human being.
The campaign, spearheaded by Bonnie Drake, has been received very positively by the majority of the student-body. On behalf of the Peer Advocates, Nneka expressed how “It was awesome to see how many views, shares, and likes the promotion video had on Facebook! Throughout the week we got so much positive feedback from students at Amherst, particularly female students!” I can hope that more signs can be put up and more people are aware of their importance, hopefully preventing more signs from being stolen or being used in an attempt to make a sexy halloween costume.
In the meantime, I urge you to check out this great video from the Peer Advocates and like them on Facebook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYbtElCepGw&feature=share